CONCACAF GOLD CUP TOP MOMENTS: #1- MEXICO VS USA, 2011 Gold Cup Final
The CONCACAF Gold Cup kicks off tomorrow, with Mexico kicking off against Trinidad & Tobago. As a warmup to the Gold Cup, we’ve been counting down El Tri’s Top 5 moments in the CONCACAF tournament. From Zague’s masterpiece to Jona Dos Santo’s strike against the U.S, to El Matador Hernandez’s heroics, and Mexico’s “Golden” Gold Cup, we’ve now arrived at our top moment for El Tri in the Gold Cup. This top moment should be of no surprise to any El Tri fan. It is one of those that is engrained in the memory of all Mexico fans and is often seen as the defining moment for that one player that had a major role in this singular act of futbol poetry in motion.
Firmala Gio
Our top moment is the 2011 Gold Cup final between Mexico and the U.S. It’s hard to argue against it as well. It’s most famous for the spectacular goal scored by Giovani Dos Santos in the second half (we all know the one), but the game itself in its entirety was an exciting one. With it being a rivalry game between Mexico and the USA, and a final to top it off, it had it all: drama missed shots, intense back and forth action, goals, and of course, “the Gio goal.”
Things didn’t start well for El Tri in this one. After 8 minutes of play, team USA scored off a Michael Bradley header against Alfredo Talavera (Memo Ochoa, along with others, had famously been suspended before the start of the tournament for testing positive for Clenbuterol). From there, the drama only intensified for the 93-thousand fans in attendance at the Rose Bowl that evening. In the 23rd minute, Captain America himself, Landon Donovan, scored 2-0 in favor of Team USA. Fans were nervous at that point and probably thought to themselves, “ya estuvo.” But it wasn’t over yet. In the 28th minute, Pablo Barrera managed a goal to close the gap, and before the second half was over, in the 36th minute, Andres Guardado scored the tying goal off a slow roller past Tim Howard. Four goals in total just in the first half had the Rose Bowl firing on all cylinders. Fans were on edge and excited. It had so far been a great back and forth game, but little did they know the best was yet to come. The second half started fast as well, with Pablo Barrera scoring the go-ahead goal just five minutes after the whistle. Now Mexico was in the lead, but the U.S did not let up. Fans of both sides were on edge as the U.S tried and tried to score. But then along came Gio. In the 76th minute of play, arguably, his greatest goal ever scored came along. It will always be associated with him, and it’s the first one you think of when you think “Giovani Dos Santos.” A slick Gerardo Torrado to Gio pass led to the famous dribble away from a desperate Tim Howard, who would swipe at the ball in vain, only to have the play be topped off by a precise lob that went over every U.S defender in the box, including a leaping Eric Lichaj who couldn’t get there. If you want to skip to that beautiful moment, you can speed up to the 2:45 mark on the clip above. That famous Gio goal sealed the win for Mexico even though the U.S had some clear opportunities afterward. In the end, they couldn’t overcome their deficit, and Mexico won that exciting game 4-2.
So, what do you think? Is our Top Gold Cup Moment for Mexico one that you agree with? It’s hard to argue against it, but if you disagree, let us know in the comments! Also, don’t forget to follow El Tri Online this Gold Cup to date news and happenings as Mexico battles for another Gold Cup trophy.
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